Inside his workshop just steps from Florence Cathedral, master goldsmith Paolo Penko, along with his gemology-expert wife Beatrice and their son Alessandro, handcrafts unique jewelry pieces using traditional Florentine goldsmith techniques.
Traditionally, the famous gold florin coin was used as a gift to celebrate the birth of a child. In fact, in the 14th century, its value made the pure 24kt-gold florin a true endowment for a newborn, with the effigy of St. John representing a protective force for the child’s life.
The family would gather around the baby and put the coin in their palm; it was considered good luck if they could hold it by instinctively closing their hand.
It has long been customary for Florentines to give a fiorino as a good luck charm for baptisms and other important life moments like communions, anniversaries, weddings and graduation ceremonies, along with best wishes for “a florin today to bring a thousand florins tomorrow.”
Create your own florin:
Flatten your coin with the guidance of the master artisan to mint your own typical “Florentine florin”
Visit the Paolo Penko goldsmith workshop website
Visit the Bottega orafa Paolo Penko
website